urn:taro:utexas.cah.00449A Guide to the Robert and Helen Oswald Papers,
1917-1930August 17, 2005Encoded in XMetal 2 by Amy Ziegler according
to instructions in
TARO 2 EAD 2002 Editing Instructions.
Descriptive Summary
Oswald, Robert and Helen
Robert and Helen Oswald
Papers1917-1930Materials are
written in English.2001-199, 2002-1349 in. Dolph Briscoe Center for American History,The
University of Texas at AustinBusiness and personal
files document the lives of Robert and Helen Oswald, partners in a comedy
troupe that performed in Texas, Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma.
Biographical Note

Robert Oswald (1892-1948) and his wife
Helen Oswald partnered with Jess and Irene Myers to form the Myers' and
Oswald's Comedy Players. The comedy players performed in theatres and tent
theatres in small towns and small farming and ranching communities throughout
the south including Texas, Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma in the 1920's. The
duo worked for the J. Doug Morgan Tent Show. Typically, shows featured a
three-act comedy interspersed with vaudeville. The Myers and Oswald's Comedy
Player's frequently featured The Peek-A-Boo Girls, a vaudeville style show
featuring Helen Oswald and Irene Myers.

Scope and Contents

Photo albums, business records, comedy
material, financial records, advertisements, programs, correspondence, legal
files, photographs, and a postcard document the lives of Robert and Helen
Oswald. The collection is divided into business and personal files. In the
business files the couples' schedule is recorded in a date book and a schedule
of appearances. Financial records include receipts and an expense book of the
comedy troupe. The papers include advertisements of the Myers' and Oswald's
Comedy Players, including a postcard of the Peek-A-Boo Girls. Newspaper
clippings provide show reviews and an obituary of a fellow comedian. The
original material includes songs, poems, monologues, plays, jokes, and sketches
used in their routine. Dance steps are recorded that were used in the shows.
The couples' personal files include photographs, automobile purchases, and
legal files including birth, baptism, and death certificates.

Use Restrictions

Unrestricted access.

Preferred Citation

Robert and Helen Oswald Papers,
1917-1930, the Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, University of Texas at Austin.